LSDE

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Agriculture here in the region turned over four sets of greenhouse facilities intended for the province of Biliran.

Francisco Rosaroso, chief of the information division, said that the DA has again turned over four sets of greenhouse facilities to the province of Biliran. The turnover ceremony was attended by DA Regional Executive Director Leo Cañeda.

Rosaroso also said that the greenhouse facilities were one of the developmental interventions of the department to alleviate the impact of climate change. Aside from that, the farmers were also encouraged to plant vegetables in controlled environment where vegetables can grow healthy with the right temperature.

He added that purpose of the greenhouse facilities that was turned over to the province of Biliran was to promote and showcase organic agriculture to the town folks.

The said project was also one of the biggest projects given by the Department of Agriculture for this year. (RYAN GABRIEL ARCENAS, LNU INTERN)

TACLOBAN CITY-The electoral protest filed by former Biliran Representative Glenn Chong is now set to be deliberated by the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET).

This after ballot boxes and other election-related documents were retrieved by the members of the HRET this week, lawyer Richard Alvin Japzon, provincial elections supervisor, said.

Chong filed an election protest against former governor and now congressman, Rogelio Espina claiming that massive cheating attended the congressional race during the May 10 elections.

Espina, however, denied that his camp committed fraud as he had maintained that he was the duly elected congressman of the province.

Based on the Comelec count, Espina won against Chong, who was seeking for his second term, by a plurality votes of 367.
Japzon said that the HRET representatives went to Biliran to personally supervise the retrieval of ballot boxes, books of voters, computerized voters lists and keys that would be use in the recount of votes.

The elections provincial supervisor of Biliran also said that these ballot boxes and other election-related documents were fully secured to ensure that they would not be tampered and avoid suspicion from either opposing camps.

“I think, the electoral protest filed by the former congressman will now push through before the HRET,” Japzon said.

With the retrieval of these contested ballot boxes by the HRET, other pending electoral protests filed by certain mayoralty candidates as well as the protest filed by Chong’s father, Charlie, against Governor Gerardo Espina, Jr. have to wait.

“With this development, I believe that the political tension in the province will somehow subside,”Japzon said.

It was learned that supporters of Chong continue to hold their protest rallies in some towns of Biliran, to include the provincial capital of Naval.

To recall, thousands of Chong supporters camped themselves at the front of the grounds of the provincial capital, where the office of the Comelec provincial office is located, after Espina was proclaimed on May 11.(JOEY A. GABIETA)

Two government entities have accepted the challenge to tap the rich population of Gelidiella acerosa or ‘gulaman’ to Biliranons, in the waters of Biliran Island for its economic potential, specifically as food and source of an alternative livelihood for the womenfolks.

and the Naval State University (NSU), have collaborated on a project entitled “Processing and Production of Gelatin Dessert from Red Seaweed Gelidiella acerosa”. The project, conceived and headed by this writer, is based in the NSU Main Campus and has involved members of the Brgy. Sabang (Almeria) Gulaman Processors Association (SGPA) initially as the core of trainees and later as trainors during the ‘technology transfer’ stage. It has officially started in July this year, instead of March, with the purchase of basic supplies, materials and equipment and identifying specific unit/individual in NSU as counterpart project staff. The primary purpose of the project is to test improved methods of processing gelose substance from G. acerosa into gelatin dessert and enhance the nutritive value of the product by using available consumer items. Marketing the product is the secondary focus of the product firstly testing the enhanced products acceptability among Biliranons and later by nearby towns and cities in mainland Leyte Province. Those who have undergone the training will be encouraged to organize among themselves and possibly raise capital to put up their small-medium scale gelatin dessert production as a livelihood activity. The SGPA memberships view their involvement and role in the afore-mentioned project with optimism, convert their time into a productive exercise, and as a way to help shore up their family income.

While the raw material being espoused is Gelidiella acerosa, there are other species of red seaweed which could be used to produce gelatin dessert. In Brgy. Villa Enage, Biliran, a group of residents formed the VESGA or Villa Enage Seaweed Growers Association and are now into marifarming or culture of the seaweeds Kappaphycus and Eucheuma or ‘guso’. Instead of selling dried ‘guso’, the same fisherfolks could engage in similar gelatin dessert livelihood activity. The VESGA seaweed farmers receive technical assistance under the DOST 8 Consultancy on Agricultural Productivity Enhancement or C.A.P.E., wherein this writer is the designated Consultant.

TACLOBAN CITY – The election protest for Congressman in the Island of Biliran that was filed by Atty. Glenn Chong, finished its preliminary conference last August 26 at the House of Representative Electoral Tribunal (HRET) in Manila.

Atty. Glenn Chong aka Truth

The said protest is to allow a manual recount for the province’s May 2010 election where it was believed that there was an election fraud. During the conference, Roger Espina, Chong’s adversary, objected to the proposed recounting of the results. The HRET gave them five days to submit their affidavit on why they would not allow the opening of ballot boxes.

According to Charlie Chong, Atty. Chong’s father, “If Roger Espina is really the elected congressman in the lone district of Biliran, there is nothing to be afraid of manual recounting.”

He added that this is just to clear all the issues with regards the election.

As of now, they will wait for the order of retrieval of ballot boxes after which is the scheduling of recount. (Shenaley Lan, LNU Intern)

TACLOBAN CITY—Mayor Gerardo S. Espina, Sr. of Kawayan, Biliran said he has sent an inquiry to the Commission on Audit (COA) regarding the status of the school buses purchased by former Biliran Rep. Glenn A. Chong, which was used for the Free School Bus System during the latter’s term.

File Photo by Kenskie

“I wrote a letter to Commissioner Rey A. Villar (of COA) inquiring as to the background of the purchase and operations of these school buses. My letter was then referred to the COA regional office here but unfortunately, for several months now since it was referred to the regional director, I have not heard from the regional office about my letter of inquiry,” Mayor Espina told Leyte Samar Daily Express in an interview.

Mayor Espina said he wants to know as to how the buses were purchased, its source of funds, who is operating and managing the buses.

“I learned that there are 12 of them estimated at P7 million…and that’s a lot of money. These buses have not yet been turned over to the proper office…I believe it should be turned over to the present congressman. I can’t see any reasons why COA has not acted on this,” Espina said.

The Free School Bus Sytem was one of the flagship projects of then Rep. Chong to provide free transportation to high school students in the province.

Leyte Samar Daily Express checked the COA regional office but according to a staff at the regional director’s office, no letter of inquiry has been forwarded to them by COA central office.

But the staff told LSDE by phone that they will do a thorough search from their monitoring desk to provide updates of the inquiry of the mayor. (REYAN L. ARINTO)

NAVAL, Biliran — Established and launched as the island-province’s first and only university in February this year, the Naval State University continues to serve the education need of the people.

The Naval State University was a dream come true, a fulfillment of a dream of school heads, administrator, faculty members and staff, local officials, parents and students.

But becoming a university was not the end but the beginning of a long journey of sharing knowledge and giving guidance to the students that pass the NSU’s portals.

It has to live up to its status as a Center of Excellence for Education, a Center of Excellence for Engineering, and a Center of Excellence for Agriculture.

The NSU also focuses on its Maritime department, bringing the students to a level of high standard. As a result, maritime graduates of the university, together with the education, engineering and agriculture graduates, passed the board examination with flying colors.

Meanwhile, NSU President Edita Sabonsolin Genson has been working for the possibility of having more scholarship programs, a tie-up with firms abroad like in Australia and the United Kingdom for their students’ deployment for on-the-job trainings, and many other things that would advance the welfare of the students and faculty members of the university.

Under the helm of Dr. Genson, the NSU will surely grow and fulfill its role of being the bastion of knowledge in Biliran province. (LEO DUMON)

Gov. Espina said that among these projects is the much-awaited low-cost housing for government employees.

The low-cost housing for government employees has been the most awaited project of provincial government. Preparations have been started since 1995, but for unknown reason, the project was not implemented.

During the administration of the immediate past governor, now Rep. Roger Espina, the proposal to source out funding for its development in the amount of P35 million from government-financing institutions was met with heavy opposition.

Recently, the present Gov. Espina, approved the site preparation amounting to P6.33 million in the three phases, which is expected to start by August this year.

The scope of work includes road preparation, drainage construction and sub-division of lots.

The housing project has 1,109 units in a 10-hectare property owned by the provincial government in Brgy. Larrazabal, of Naval town. There were proposed single- and double-detached units in varying floor areas. The project also includes facilities for commercial and amusement purposes.

With the onset of the rainy season, Governor Espina is also fast-tracking the improvement of barangay roads amounting to P4.9 million. These farm-to-market roads play a vital role in the local economy as it directly affects supply and prices of farm products and basic commodities being transported to upland barangays from town markets.

Other infra projects to be implemented are the construction of seawall in Brgy. Atipolo and a basketball court in Brgy. Larrazabal, both in the town of Naval amounting to P1.5 million, he said.

Governor Espina is upbeat that his constituents may experience more opportunity of better public facilities under his watch, now that he has the support of Rep. Espina, his elder brother, on top of the regular resources of the provincial government. (LEO DUMON)

Do you favor the proposed expansion of the drilling operations of the Biliran Geothermal Incorporated (BGI) in other areas of Biliran province aside from the present drilling operations in Caibiran town?